Stories for Tomorrow – Lived Today, Everywhere

Pictures of a Possible City

Pictures of a Possible City

Once a year, the Colombian capital becomes a utopia of mobility and quiet. For a few hours, no private car is allowed to circulate on the streets. A photo essay on Bogotá's Car-Free Day.

Few of Bogotá's residents and visitors could deny that, in spite of the charms of the Colombian capital, despite its dynamism and cultural vitality, one of the negative aspects of everyday urban life is its traffic, which, according to some, “is enough to drive people crazy.” Today there are over 1.8 million cars in Bogotá, and their free flow is one of the trials the town faces on a daily basis, particularly when entire avenues are paralyzed by strong rainfall. In a booming city that is growing at incredible speed, finding the proper balance between the number of cars and roads, mobility, public space, number of inhabitants, and quality of life is a huge challenge.

Bogotá in February 2017. Do you miss anything? Photo (CC BY-SA): Victoria Holguín

Bogotá in February 2017. Do you miss anything? Photo (CC BY-SA): Victoria Holguín

Bogotá in February 2017. Do you miss anything? Photo (CC BY-SA): Victoria Holguín

Bogotá in February 2017. Do you miss anything? Photo (CC BY-SA): Victoria Holguín

Bogotá in February 2017. Do you miss anything? Photo (CC BY-SA): Victoria Holguín

Bogotá in February 2017. Do you miss anything? Photo (CC BY-SA): Victoria Holguín

Bogotá in February 2017. Do you miss anything? Photo (CC BY-SA): Victoria Holguín

Bogotá in February 2017. Do you miss anything? Photo (CC BY-SA): Victoria Holguín

Bogotá in February 2017. Do you miss anything? Photo (CC BY-SA): Victoria Holguín

Bogotá in February 2017. Do you miss anything? Photo (CC BY-SA): Victoria Holguín

Bogotá in February 2017. Do you miss anything? Photo (CC BY-SA): Victoria Holguín

Car-free days have been held in Bogotá since February 2000. The measure, repeated once more in early February 2017, bans the use of private vehicles (including motorcycles). The “Día sin carro” – car-free day – arose from the desire of the administration and citizens to reduce the levels of auditory and environmental pollution. Parallel measures such as the free loan of bicycles, the adaptation of streets and parking spaces, and the staging of cultural events on car-free days help make Bogotá a dreamlike capital. Here are some of the photos of this possible city.

Victoria Holguín (Bogotá) lives and works as a professional photographer in Bogotá.